


Songbird

by NanaLatte



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hanahaki Disease, Birds, F/M, Hanahaki AU, Hanahaki Disease, feathers instead of flowers, i dont know what im doing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-13 21:19:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14121048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanaLatte/pseuds/NanaLatte
Summary: It was a bright and early Saturday morning. Dawn had a lot planned, but surely coughing up Robin feathers wasn’t in the schedule.-(Updates every Monday)





	1. Saturday Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn Mary Grayson finds herself in a feathery situation.

I.

If Dawn considered herself anything, it was smart. Surely she may have not been a genius or an A+ student, but she was quick to draw conclusions and make reason. Being a high schooler and part-time vigilante was already more then she could handle, so why add a crumbling love life that would probably never work to the mix? Dawn concluded that there was no point in even thinking about it, seeing as it would never last... So why was she coughing up robin feathers on a Saturday morning?

Dawns lungs felt like they were going to burst, she was hacking and wheezing up dozens of little robin feathers as they crawled up her burning throat. The soft feathers tickled at her dry esophagus, making her eyes water with unshed tears. In fear of choking, the raven-haired teen rushed to the adjoining bathroom, hastily flung the toilet seat open, and, hunching over, dry heaved to the heavens. A litter of small feathers slithered out her mouth. Dawn had half the mind to consider whether it was a good idea or not to flush feathers down a toilet, however ignoring the thought a moment after as the pale hero was overcome with violent coughs once again. Several minutes later, the coughs had died down enough to allow her to catch a long needed breath, which she greedily gulped down. Dawn had made her conclusion.

The Hanahaki disease was a commonly known myth, many stories of its victims usually ended in the loss of their lives. The tale was simple; the disease was born of a one-sided love, causing the victim to have flowers grow in their lungs until it kills them. In Dawn’s case, it would be robin feathers. Of course, a cure did exist but in two forms: A) the love is requited by the person in question _(which is the best possible outcome)_ or B) a surgery that can be done to remove the illness. The problem following scenario B would be that removing the flowers results in the victim losing all feelings along with the illness itself, which could result in another person contracting the illness, due to the victim being unable to love anyone in return. If the victim decides to go through with the removal, it must be done very early on, well before the recipient’s lungs are completely stuffed with flowers. For this, Dawn knew that she had been cursed with the damned flower disease.

Before Dawn could contemplate her next move, she caught the sound of feet pattering against the floor. The teen rolled her head onto her arm, which had been slung over the toilet, and watched intently. A gentle voice filtered through the door, one she recognized as her pseudo father. With a gentle huff he asked “Is everything alright in there?” and for a moment, the girl considered laughing. _No, I’m not ok. I’m going to die of the feathers filling my lungs because a boy won’t love me. How pathetic is that?_

“Yeah I’m ok… sorry to worry you. I guess my acid reflux didn’t like all that pasta sauce from yesterday.” The raven-haired girl croaked, her voice heavy with disuse. She couldn’t hurt him like this, she wouldn’t. The figure behind the door seemed to take that as an adequate response, and replied, “All right, I’ll grab you some Tums from the store as fast as I can. Just hang in there, I’ll be right back.” The voice chirped as it seemed to move farther away from the door. Dawn heard the faint sound of a jacket shuffling, along with the scrape of shoes against the hardwood floor and a jingle of keys. She waited to hear the resounding _snap_ of the lock being put into place. With a harrowing sigh, the girl slowly lifted her head and leaned back against the wall adjacent to the toilet, curling her arms around herself in a piss poor attempt to soothe her hammering heart. The young detective had deduced this much, and now she had made her choice; she was going to die with a heavy heart and lungs filled with stupid feathers. But that wasn’t what upset her the most. _It was that she didn’t even like robins. She more preferred bluebirds._


	2. Father Dearest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like realizing you’re dying, but getting a warm hug from your dad is never bad. Right?

II.

 **Babybat:** Grayson.                                                                                 

 **Babybat:** Are you free to patrol tonight.

She really didn’t mean to leave him on read, but it’s not like he formed it like much of a question anyways. That was in his nature though, _demanding things_ as if the world owed him for his existence. All things aside, Dawn couldn’t stomach the idea of texting him back to begin with, not when his ~~charming~~ **stupid** face was the source of her… _problem._ Nonetheless, our brave hero had a much bigger problem at hand, which was the array of puked up feathers scattered everywhere. Before her dad could return, Dawn hastily flushed the feathers and prayed to Hera that the toilet wouldn’t clog. Slowly bringing herself to her feet, the ravenette skittered over to her room, quickly scooped up whatever feathers she could find and shoved them into a zip-lock bag she kept in her desk _(you never know when you need to bring home evidence from a crime scene)._ The next course of action would be trying to slow her beating heart and calming the tremors in her hands. _Easier said than done_.

 Slipping into bed, Dawn buried herself under the covers, as if to hide from her unavoidable fate. Sure, the hero had thought about her death before… what teen hasn’t? Unlike every other teen though, Dawn always assumed her death would be at the hands of some blood thirsty clown psycho or an otherworldly entity with plans to dominate her home planet. On one occasion, the hero had even made a passing joke along the lines of “ _if anyone’s taking my life, it’s going to be myself.”_ But when you really think about it, that’s what she was doing now wasn’t it? Sitting by and watching herself deteriorate slowly because of a _boy_. Dawn had never felt so bitter, she thought she was stronger than this.

Briefly, she considered telling him. The thought was vehemently thrown out the window the second it had appeared. _Are you nuts? You’re considering forcing a boy to love you because you’re dying? Where did that heroism go?_ He was her friend and that was that. If he had even loved her in the first place, she wouldn’t be in this predicament. Telling him would bring on some unspoken guilt and make him feel like he **_had_** to love her, and she couldn’t do that to him either. It didn’t cross Dawn’s mind that that wasn’t how it _worked_ , but she was a stubborn kid. Thoughts bubbled in the teens mind, everything felt so overwhelming. But she had to learn to deal with it, she had to learn how to hide it. Dawn couldn’t shake the feeling that if she had even half the mind to tell her dad, his response would be a striking “ _You better get whelmed because were going to fix this_." A smile broke out on her face at the thought.

Speaking of the devil, a knock at the door broke the pale girl out of her stupor, and she gently uttered a muffled “ _Come in.”_ before untucking her face from under her covers. The door opened, revealing the concerned face of her mentor. His hair was hastily swept back and tousled, as if he had been running his hand through it way too much, a nervous tick she had picked up on years ago. A frown pulled at the man’s lips, he hated seeing his apprentice so bed ridden and pale. Dawn may have not been his biological daughter per say, but many could disagree. Her jet black hair matched his perfectly, along with the smooth shape of her nose. What really set them apart was the striking blue of his eyes compared to her gentle green ones. Dick could remember the very first time those eyes had set themselves upon him. His heart was hers. That night, ten years ago, he had brought the frail girl home, and over the course of a year had finally gotten a hold of adoption papers for long enough to add a _Grayson_ to the end of Dawn’s name.

Wordlessly, Dick sat himself next to his adoptive daughter on her bed and placed a gentle hand over hers. The action reminded Dawn of all the times her dad sang her old Romanian lullabies when she had nightmares or couldn’t sleep, hand clasped in hers with the opposing hand brushing her hair back. Most nights he fell asleep holding her and quelling her cries on the small twin sized bed, most often then naught waking up with a sore neck. But he was happy she trusted him as a father. Smoothing the teen’s hair back, Dick gently handed her the pack of Tums, which she gratefully accepted _(not mentioning that it wasn’t **actually** needed)_. She swallowed the pills and tossed the pack on the side of the bed. Dawn’s eyes shifted to her mentor, and she couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his own grin. “I told you not to drench the spaghetti in Ragu sauce Babybird! Look at you now.” Dick chuckled, his protégé had a track record of chugging as many fizzy drinks as possible until she puked them up and spent the rest of the day hunched over the toilet. The girl shrugged, as if to say _You know me,_ and patted her dad on the shoulder. “I’ll live, if I can survive a run in with _Queen Bee_ then this shit is a cakewalk.”

Dick’s mouth opened with an inhale, about to scold his daughter for her language that he _knows_ she picked up from her uncle Jason, before getting cut off by the shrill ring of his cell phone. With a nod of his head and a small pout, the hero fished out his phone from his pocket to shut it up. Lifting himself off the bed into a standing position, Dick picked up with a tired “ _Hello,”_ and Dawn collapsed back under her duvet. Listening intently, she tried to pick up what he was saying.

“Mmhm _…_ ok _…_ sure... ok, I’ll be there right away. Yep, bye…”

Dick returned with a sad frown on his face. Ruffling Dawn’s hair affectionately, he sighed. “Sorry little wing, the precinct needs me… I’ll be home as soon as I can to take care of you.” Dawn offered Dick an understanding smile. “Its ok, I can take care of myself. You go out there and do your stuff!” She flashed her dad two thumbs up. With a nod and a responding thumbs up, the mentor vigilante was out the door in a flash. For a moment, Dawn thought she could take a breath and think, just lay back and-

 **Babybat:** I know you left me on read.

 **Babybat:** You should know I am not above showing up at your place and dragging you out the window by the braid.

_Shit._


	3. Man in the chair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn leaves to get help but it doesn’t turn out the way she hopes, maybe she isn’t the best at breaking bad news?

III.

            Sure, Dawn didn’t mean to, but she probably looked like she smoked a lot of crack. The tall girl seemed to slink down the side walk with a drowsiness clouding over her. Her Nightwing sweater _(that Dick had gotten her as a gag gift)_ was zipped up, and the hood was haphazardly thrown over her head, hands shoved deep in her pockets and back slouched. Dawn had hastily texted Dick that she was heading out for a walk to clear her head. She needed to speak to someone, _anyone._ Dick wasn’t an option, and even then he was out working. If she had told Jason he would only wind back and tell Dick… maybe Tim? No… Tim wasn’t that great with keeping things from his family. She couldn’t even tell Bruce or Alfred because they would _insist_ she tell her dad. Dawn wheezed, she definitely needed more friends who weren’t family related. Then she suddenly realized she did have just that… _Mimic_.

            Mimic was Dawn’s best friend and partner in crime, or her _man in the chair_ as she liked to refer to her. If the teenage hero could talk to anyone, it was Mimic. They had met during her first year of high school and created an unlikely friendship, seeing as they were both loners. Her best friend was a hacker who supplied her with info during her patrols and crime investigations. They were thick as thieves. With a sudden pep in her step, Dawn found her feet moving on their own towards Mimic’s apartment, which was shared with the renowned cat burglar, _Selina Kyle,_ who also happened to be the hacker’s mentor and stepmother.

Where Selina was sly and cunning, Mimic was slow and awkward. Sure, the girl had her moments of wit, but she mostly stayed out of the spotlight. But lately, with some nudging from her best friend and fellow hero, Mimic was coming more out of her shell _._ For a brief second, Dawn felt bad for showing up without calling or texting, but Robin was determined to take her on patrol that night, and showing up would come off as suspicious, not to mention _no one_ could know about her… secret.

            Getting up to the hacker’s apartment was a breeze. This was a route she had taken hundreds of times to hang out or get patched up. During these visits, the girl had really taken a liking to Ms. Kyle, and had more than once sat down with her for some tea with the promise of cookies and a ride home. It was so nice to be around some girls for once _(who weren’t trying to kill her)_. Seeing as she was constantly surrounded by so much testosterone… it was really worrying at this point. Dawn shook the thoughts and happy memories out of her head. She had much more to be focusing on than tea and painting nails over some pizza and coke.

            As if her legs had moved on their own, Dawn was climbing up the fire escape of a tall building, hands reaching into her pockets for her lone tube of lipstick. Once she had found the appropriate window, the vigilante snapped open the cap to what wasn’t actually lipstick, but a pocket knife. With such practiced precision, she undid the lock on the window with the knife, gently and quietly slipping it open and slinking inside like a snake before shutting it with as much force as she had opened it. Before Dawn could take a needed breath of relief, a pillow came flying at full force at her head, smacking her right in the face. With a roll of her eyes, Dawn peeled the pillow off her and came face to face with a tall, slim girl with dark, shoulder length hair and a frown on her face. The girl shifted the sunglasses on her face so they rested high on her nose and scoffed. “You know, I gave you a _key_ for a _reason_ Blue.” Her stance was tall, hands on her slim waist. There was a cock in her hips, giving off an aura of attitude. Dawn snorted in amusement and shrugged. “Where’s the fun in that Mimi? Besides, aren’t you happy to see your _bestie_?” She mocked playfully, it was just in the nature of their relationship. Mimic smirked and took a seat on her bed, patting the sheets for Dawn to sit next to her. Dawn sat down and cautiously looked around for a moment before whispering “…your mom isn’t home right?” Just like the others, if Selina had caught wind of this she was sure to inform Dick.

            Mimic stared at Dawn for a moment. Sure, it wasn’t abnormal for Dawn to show up out of the blue and demand they do something to get her out of the house, but she could tell something was _off_. Dawn had a nervous aura surrounding her, the hacker had picked up on a small tremble in her hand and a subtle bounce of her leg as she sat down, a sure-fire sign of her partner’s anxiousness. Instead of pestering her about her behavior, Mimic had decided that when Dawn wanted to tell her she would, so with a shrug she shook her head. “Nah, she left a while ago…. Something about badgering a certain playboy billionaire.” She responded with a quirk of her lip. Her mentor sure was something else, and Mimi never failed to get a laugh out of Selina’s cat and mouse game with Gotham’s crown prince _Bruce Wayne_. Dawn nodded for a moment and sighed before lying back on the bed. _How was she going to tell her best friend_ she was _dying?_ Suddenly it struck her how stupid of an idea this was.

She groaned, slapping a hand over her face. Dawn could feel her friend’s gaze burning a hole into the side of her face. Chest feeling tight, Dawn swallowed the need to cough and cast a sad glance to Mimic, laughing awkwardly. “So… Robin wants to patrol with me tonight, but I have a… dilemma.” Dawn attempted to find a way around it, a smooth lie that hid the truth but was close to… what she had to say. Maybe she could say she hated him, that he made her sick. But that was far from the truth and Mimic knew that. Stuttering for a moment, Dawn tried to find her own footing. The burning in her chest became too tight, and before she could stop herself she was suddenly coughing violently. Jerking up to a sitting position, the teen’s hands slapped against her mouth to stop the onslaught of feathers.

The feathers became too much, filling her mouth and threatening to spill out. Accidentally inhaling them, Dawn wheezed and choked on the feathers. She was forced to release her mouth and spit them out before they _choked her to death_. A multitude of robin feathers spewed out of the girl’s mouth and gently floated onto the ground. With all the commotion, many of Selina’s cats sauntered into the room and began to flail wildly at the floating feathers. Cats of all kinds jumping up and catching the feathers before scurrying off with their prizes. Dawn wanted to stop them, but her abrupt coughing held her back. All she could do at the moment was wretch until her throat emptied itself of the feathers. She wanted to claw at her throat violently, rip out her lungs for doing this to her, claw out her _heart_ for betraying her. Soon enough, her coughs died down and she could breathe again. For a brief moment, Dawn had forgotten she wasn’t in her own home, and soon enough she realized she was still in Mimic’s room. Mouth open, ready for a hearty excuse, Dawn looked over to her best friend and blanked.

Mimic was normally pale in complexion, but at this moment she looked white as a sheet. Dawn couldn’t see her companion’s eyes past the glasses she wore, but she was sure they were open wide. She didn’t mean for it to come out like _this_. Gently reaching out to put a sympathetic hand on her friend’s shoulder, Dawn sighed. “Mimi I-” Her hand was slapped to the side, and Mimic lashed out.

 “ _Since when have you had the Hanahaki Disease?! When were you planning to tell me?! When?! After you **died?!**_ ” Mimic hissed, she wasn’t one to get mad but when she did it was catastrophic. Dawn shrunk back and held her hand close to her chest “Mimi… it’s not like I-“ she began, but once again her friend _wasn’t_ having it. Eyebrows drawn close, Dawn could see the tears forming on Mimic’s reddening face. “Don’t call me that! Not when you’re _dying!_ How could you not tell me!” Mimic screeched. Dawn shook her head and with more force tried to speak again. “I just found out! Why do you _think_ I’m here?!”

Everything became quiet. The silence was suffocating. Dawn panted, shaking from the force she had yelled with. She didn’t mean for this to happen, but she had to get Mimic’s attention somehow. Speaking of the anti-hero, Dawn could see the silent tears streaming down her face, her hands shaking in her lap. Gently clasping Mimic’s quivering hands in her own, Dawn tried again, this time more gently.

 “I found out this morning, I haven’t told anyone yet but neither can you. This has to stay between us-“ Mimic began to protest, but Dawn cut her off with a quick _shh,_ and continued.  “And before you ask me, no, I am not removing them, if I do someone else could contract the disease, and I won’t make anyone else suffer… and I’m not telling you who it is, I don’t want to make him suffer either.” Dawn finished with a sigh. Mimic attempted several times to form a sentence, but instead collapsed in her friend’s arms with a resounding sob. Dawn’s heart broke for her best friend, and she gently soothed her hair back and rocked her gently. The sun began to set and Mimic smiled grimly at the sight. Just like the sun, her friend too would disappear _. How fitting._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, I hope you guys are enjoying and let me know what you think! Once again thanks to my friend who is letting me post on her account, see you next Monday. – Mockingbird

**Author's Note:**

> Updates (hopefully) Monday! A huge thanks to one of my closest friends who’s letting me post this on her account. – Mockingbird


End file.
